Is There a Perfect Job?

Many people come to coaching in the search for a better job. Some want help in locating the perfect job, others want help in writing their selection criteria and application and still others want to build their skills in interviews.

All of these are perfectly valid steps but they all are missing the most important beginning steps. YOU! When looking for the perfect job, dont start by looking outwards at others and what they have to offer, the best place to start is inwards and who you are.

If you start with what jobs are available, you have given all your power and control away to other people, you are reacting rather than creating what you need to be fulfilled and happy. The possibility of a perfect match between you and your job falls dramatically, and you may end up yet another passenger in a corporation.

It is like looking for a love partner just in one place looking around a room, asking who is available and then moving in with the first person who puts their hand up. You wouldnt do it with love, so why would you do it with something that you will spend a lot of time and passion on?

If you want to be in the perfect job, the first place to start is with your key values. Your values will determine where you spend your time, energy and money.

When you know what is important to you, you have started to write your own selection criteria for a job. For example if showing care and appreciation for other people is important to you, you will not be happy or fulfilled in a job that provides no recognition towards its staff or allows limited interaction between staff members.

If you value honesty highly, then selling a product you do not believe in will not work for you in the long term. Once you have your top 10 values, you can use this list to talk with potential employers when you ring for further information, ask about what the work team is like, what are the key challenges of the company and the role in the coming months, ask the person what the organizational culture is like.

These will help you know whether you want to work there or not, as you can compare what they say with what is important to you.

Next write out two position or job descriptions (thanks Barbara Sher for this idea). Start by writing out the most horrible job that you can think of - the hours of work, location, people you would work with, tasks you would be asked to do, type of boss, pay.

Think back and add in all the bits you have hated from other jobs or jobs you have heard about. Really have fun designing the most horrible job in the world. Read it through and then totally swap everything 180 degrees for the second description. This will help you design the perfect job you are looking for.

Next discover what is your calling/passion in life. I say "discover" as it is usually something you need to discover rather than logic out. As you discover your calling you will find that it has nothing to do with being an "Assistant in a Hardware store" but more with what you give back to others "help others to learn and grow to their fullest potential". When you have discovered your calling you will find you can do your calling almost anywhere.

It will also help you in writing your application and during interview. What sounds better to a potential employer - "I like tools and hardware" or "I like helping people learn the joy of how they can do it themselves using tools and hardware?"

OK ... you now are armed with a lot of information. You have your value set selection criteria, your perfect job description and know your calling, you are nearly ready to look for jobs.

The final step is to visualize or imagine the perfect job you have designed, put yourself into the image and experience how it feels. Does it feel right and comfortable? As you experience yourself in this job, you are programming your mind to find it for you.

In earlier articles we talked about the reticular activating system in your brain, we are once again using this wonderful part of you to help you locate your perfect job.

Now you can start looking at what is out there. Compare all jobs with your information to work out the match. If it totally doesnt match, dont waste your time and the corporations time with applying.

If the job is close to your list, then apply but dont be afraid to check out for more details when at interview they ask the "is there any questions you would like to ask us?" at the end of the interview.

Most people assume that you need to look to find a perfect job different to the one you are in, which is not necessarily the case.

I recently worked with one wonderful client who did everything in this article and then discovered that the job she was in was her perfect match! She had come to me as she hated her job and wanted to leave.

She did her review and then discovered that she was in the perfect role for her to follow her calling. She then went back and asked herself "how can I implement my calling in what I do?" With this change of focus she is now happy, loves her job and has managed to double her income in 4 months through improved sales!

So, being in the perfect job may be as simple as looking at your present job with different eyes.So is there a perfect job for you? There are hundreds of perfect jobs. You just need to know what you are measuring "perfect" against and then go for it!

About the Author

Ingrid Cliff is a Business Development and Human Resources Consultant to Small and Medium Businesses. Ingrid has just published Instant HR Policies and Procedures for Small and Medium Businesses www.heartharmony.com.au